


Nothing But The Truth

by kingoriginal



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 04:09:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10983078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingoriginal/pseuds/kingoriginal
Summary: “Are you aware of the laws the prohibit the love of Eros between bonded pairs of parabatai?” she asked next, and Alec’s jaw tensed as the interrogation took on a more dreaded path.“Yes.”“Have you and your parabatai knowingly broken such laws, Mr. Lightwood?”“No.”“Has your parabatai, Jace Herondale, ever suggested that you did?”“What? No.”“Did the two of you ever engaged in carnal relations with one another?”“No.”“Did you want to?”





	Nothing But The Truth

**“** Let us begin, **”** the Inquisitor started in an unaffected tone, seemingly uncaring in regards to the man standing before her or the sword held in his outstretched hands. There were almost a dozen other figures standing in the room, representatives from the Clave and members of the family alike, and her gaze brushed pass all of them before it settled upon the Shadowhunter on trial. 

**“** State your name and rank, **”** she ordered as their eyes finally met. 

**“** Alexander Gideon Lightwood, **”** he replied without missing a beat,  **“** Head of the New York Institute. **”** After almost ten years the title felt natural rolling out of his tongue. 

         The Soul Sword thrummed within his hold like a living wire, threatening to lash out at any given moment. The Silent brothers assured everyone that there was no reason to concern, not as long as Alec remained truthful; the nature of the accusations made against him lead the Nephilim to wonder exactly how long that might last.

**“** Do you consider yourself a law abiding Shadowhunter, Mr. Lightwood? **”** the Inquisitor proceeded without missing a beat.  

          Alec could see the trap laid out in front of him, how one might doubt their own loyalty in a situation like this, overthink the question considering every little transgression they had ever committed, but the question regarded his own assessment of himself and Alec had no doubts when it came to that.

**“** Yes, **”** he stated simply, feeling the breathing of those watching being held and then released in unison as nothing happened. 

          His conscience was clear in this matter, whenever he had broken the rules it had been with the best interest of the Clave and the Nephilim in mind, otherwise, Alec wouldn’t have done so. Whatever the Inquisitor thought of that it didn’t matter, the sword proved his words true.

**“** Are you aware of the laws the prohibit the love of Eros between bonded pairs of parabatai? **”** she asked next, and Alec’s jaw tensed as the interrogation took on a more dreaded path.

**“** Yes. **”**

**“** Have you and your parabatai knowingly broken such laws, Mr. Lightwood? **”**

**“** No. **”**

**“** Has your parabatai, Jace Herondale, ever suggested that you did? **”**

**“** _What?_ No. **”**  

**“** Did the two of you ever engaged in carnal relations with one another? **”**

**“** No. **”**

**“** Did you want to? **”**

          _No_ , he wanted to say, but the word was stuck inside his mouth and it threatened to choke him if he so much as _tried._ Meanwhile, the palms of his hands began to sizzle under the blade of the sword, pain shooting up his arms like an electric current that forced him to look up as his neck stiffened, tendrils of it ripping out words from him, willing or not. 

**“** I would _never_ – **”** he started, but the Inquisitor wouldn’t let him finish, simply raising her hand in what looked like a placating gesture in appearance alone. 

**“** A simple yes or no will do, Mr. Lightwood. Did you or did you not wish to have sex with your parabatai? **”**

          Hushed whispers filled the room even before he replied, just from having the accusation laid out so crudely, and Angel did Alec take his sweet time with it, enduring the pain as long as he could before another answer was wrenched from his lips.  _ **“** Wishing for something is not a crime! **”**_ came the protest from the small audience. _Isabelle_ , Alec thought fleetingly, but he couldn’t look away from the Inquisitor if he tried.

**“** Answer the question, **”** she demanded.

          This time there was no resisting the Soul Sword, the pull of it so strong the response was preceded by a pained groan and followed by Alec’s own unconcealed horror.

**“** Yes, **”** he gasped, fingers curling over metal, welcoming the stinging bit of it as a distraction from what had to be his worst nightmare come to life.  **“** Yes, I did. **”**

          For all the time he had spent worrying about the possibility of this very moment in his youth, Alec never thought it would happen now. Not when he’s almost thirty years old and he and Jace had been through so much, and yet they’d never– They never _did_ anything, the love between them wasn’t like that, Alec wanted to scream. But not doing it didn’t mean he wanted it any less, even now, even after all these years.   

**“** Have you ever acted upon such forbidden wishes? **”** the Inquisitor pressed on. 

**“** No. **”**

**“** Ever touched your parabatai improperly? **”**

**“** No. **”**  

**“** But you wanted to? **”**

**“** Yes. **”**

          It continued like that. Had he ever kissed Jace? Touched him? Done anything he shouldn’t with him? _No_ , no, always no. But did he want to? And Alec was forced to say yes, over and over again as blood dripped down his hands and pooled at his feet from holding on so tight. _Yes_ , he wanted those things, he wanted all of it.  

**“** Would you consider the nature of your feelings for your parabatai platonic or romantic? **”**

          _Neither,_  Alec wanted to say. Jace was more, so much more to him, but a question had been asked and the sword wouldn’t let him stop regardless of how much his hands bled. 

**“** Both. **”**  

**“** How long have you held these romantic feelings for Mr. Herondale? **”**

If it was possible to sigh he would have, but as it was all Alec could do was mourn the shreds of his dignity. 

**“** Since I was fifteen. **”**

**“** And how old were you when you became parabatai? **”**

**“** Seventeen. **”**  

**“** So you intentionally entered the bond knowing you had more than just platonic feelings for your parabatai to be? **”**

**“** I made a choice! **”** he snapped, fearful of where the Inquisitor was heading. Anger and dread curled Alec’s hands into fists that only welcomed the blade to cut deeper. _Let it,_ he thought briefly, at least this way they would know he was saying the truth.  **“** I had these feelings and I decided not to act on them, _ever_. Jace asked me to be his parabatai, said he knew that would be better together than we were apart, and he was **right** , you all know he was right. **”**

          For the first time, he lifted his gaze again, forcing it away from the Inquisitor’s hard stare and glaring instead at every single one of those present, silently daring them to contradict him. This wasn’t just any Shadowhunter on trial, this was Alexander Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute, one of the heroes from the Mortal War; it would do them well to remember so.

**“** I loved– I love my parabatai, **”**  he admitted at last, the words lifting a weight from his chest at the same time they dangled a blade over the back of his neck threatening to fall. **“** And I chose to be whatever he needed me to be, and it was this. His bondmate, his brother in arms… Whatever else I might have wanted, I never acted on it, and you might be as repulsed by it as you’d like but that doesn’t make it a crime. **”**

          A long silence followed his impassionate speech, the picture Alec cut while standing tall with the Soul Sword held in his crimson dripping hands an imposing one everyone present would be hard pressed to forget. Finally, after what felt like a small eternity, the Inquisitor spoke again, it might have been just an impression, but to Alec her voice sounded softer this time around.

**“** Do you have any idea why your runes have changed? **”**

          In turn he wasn’t as combative as he spoke again, just tired, the pain that forced him to speak only truth receding in favor of an ache that just begged him to get this over with. This question had worried him the most out of everything he thought might be asked of him, but now that it had happened, Alec figured it was the easiest one of all.  

**“** I know that it is a sign of Eros, same as you, but we didn’t commit that crime. **”**

          The Soul Sword was silent in Alec’s hands.

          He had worried so much when the symptoms started, he and Jace alike, frightened and confused as a rune his parabatai traced upon his skin with ease assumed a golden hue. They knew what it meant, they knew the stories– Hell Alec had grew up fearing those very symptoms, but they hadn’t _done_ anything and still it landed them here. 

**“** Very well, **”**  the Inquisitor cleared her throat, **“** You are dismissed, Mr. Lightwood– **”**

          He didn’t wait for her to finish, the sacred sword clattering against the stone floor as the tall Shadowhunter walked away from the once again silent room. 

* * *

          Jace was waiting for him outside, his interrogation having taken place before Alec’s own, and despite all that had been said ( or perhaps precisely because of it ) he found he couldn’t quite look his parabatai in the eye, but Jace’s gaze wasn’t directed at him. His mismatched glare was focused on the door Alec had just crossed, the intensity of it telling the Alec all he needed to know: his rage had a target and it wasn’t him. 

**“** I don’t care care about what happened in there, **”** Jace started, his voice so sure it broke the lingering silence like the strike of a blade, his eyes so steely Alec believed every word. 

          While Jace’s eyes might be harsh, his touch was nothing but soft as he reached for Alec’s hands, turning his palms upwards and inspecting the damage there, carefully running his thumb over one of the deeper cuts. 

          Alec couldn’t help but notice his parabatai’s hands were unscathed.

**“** Give me your stele, **”** Jace decided after a moment of deliberation, and while Alec did try to protest that they _shouldn’t_  it was clear his parabatai wasn’t having any of it. 

**“** Shouldn’t what? **”** he cut back, **“** Heal each other? **”** his tone made it clear exactly how absurd he found the suggestion to even be. **“** They already know about the runes, Alec, **”** the blond reasoned,  **“** We’re already on trial, what else could happen? **”**

          As much as he wanted to Alec couldn’t deny that Jace had a point. _What else could happen?_ He had already confessed his feelings for his parabatai in front of a plethora of dignitaries from the Clave, they both have held the Soul Sword in turn, they both have said their peace. Defeated, Alec surrendered his stele without further protest and Jace wasted no time in tracing the Iratze on his hip, the golden rune glowing bright and surging with healing power. 

**“** You know, mundanes have this law… I know you don’t care about mundane justice, but hear me out. They have a law that says if you’re judged for something, it doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or innocent, but if you’re judged for it and you pay the price, you can’t be accused of the same crime again. So if you’re arrested for killing someone and they’re still alive, you could kill them once you’re out of mundie prison and no one can do a thing, and if they accuse you of breaking the law with your parabatai… **”**  

          At some point during his little speech Alec’s eyes have found Jace’s gaze and, as always, he was irrevocably drawn by the intensity of those eyes, unable to look away or not to notice the way Jace’s eyes fell to his lips as he trailed off. 

**“** Then what? **”** Alec asked, his voice sounding rougher than he expected it to be, weighted by a foreign sort of anticipation. 

          Jace was leaning forward then, both of then sensing the inevitability of what was about to happen, steeling themselves for it– But the door behind them crept open once more and the moment was broken, the Inquisitor’s icy gaze following their movements as they stepped away from each other with matching blank looks upon their faces. 

**“** We’re ready for you, **”** was all she said. 


End file.
